Mixed Hearing Loss: Symptoms, Causes & Treatment

Hearing loss can be broken down into three main types: conductive, sensorineural and mixed. Mixed hearing loss is a combination of both conductive and sensorineural hearing loss, which means both the outer or middle ear and the inner ear are affected to some degree.

Symptoms of mixed hearing loss

There are varying levels of mixed hearing loss, and it can affect one or both ears.

If the loss is mostly conductive, it might make it tricky to hear people speaking if they talk quietly or if there’s background noise. Conductive hearing loss is caused by problems with the outer or middle ear, so some sound waves can’t get to the inner ear.

If it’s more sensorineural, you might find it difficult to understand speech, even when the person is speaking loudly. Sensorineural hearing loss is caused by problems with the inner ear and the nerves related to hearing.

Many people with a mixed hearing loss will experience sounds as very soft in volume, which makes them difficult to understand.

Signs to look out for include asking people to repeat themselves, avoiding noisy situations, and feeling tired from straining to hear people.

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Causes of mixed hearing loss

As a combination of conductive and sensorineural hearing loss, there are several causes for mixed hearing loss. These include:

Genetic factors
Ageing
Excessive noise
Certain medications
Birth conditions
Ear infections
Tumours and disease
Head trauma
Ear wax

As an example, mixed hearing loss can be caused by working in a noisy environment coupled with an ear infection – both of which can be tackled independently.

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Treatment process for mixed hearing loss

Mixed hearing loss can be treated in a number of ways depending on the cause. Your audiologist or GP will be able to determine if medications, hearing aids, or in some cases, surgery would be the best treatment plan.

Mixed hearing loss patient outlook

The conductive element of mixed hearing loss can sometimes be helped through treatment, but sensorineural hearing loss is usually permanent.

Hearing aids for mixed hearing loss

Depending on the severity of any sensorineural hearing loss, you may find that hearing aids would be hugely beneficial.

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Surgical treatment

Surgical treatments tend to focus on very specific causes of mixed hearing loss and therefore won’t benefit everyone, hearing aids tend to be the most suitable option.

Ageing and mixed hearing loss

Sensorineural hearing loss is more often than not a result of ageing. Combine this with overexposure to loud noises, certain medications and some medical or genetic conditions and you can develop mixed hearing loss.

Conductive and sensorineural hearing loss

Conductive hearing loss is caused by problems with the outer or middle ear, so the ear canal, eardrum, middle ear bones or middle ear cavity are preventing sound from getting to the inner ear.

Sensorineural hearing loss is caused by problems with the inner ear and the nerves related to hearing.

When to seek help from a hearing specialist

If you think you’re experiencing mixed hearing loss or experience any type of sudden hearing loss we’d recommend that you see one of our audiologists or your GP as soon as possible in order to determine its cause, and the most effective treatment options to help restore your hearing.